When we talk about basic and foundation behaviours we most often think about a target, a call over, maybe separation or shifting of animals is part of your list, but there is a lot more to foundation. Here at Zoospensefull we are big fans of having a strong history with Read more…
In a modern zoo we often have many gregarious animals of either the same species or different species housed together in an exhibit. Each animal requires the same level of care, but what behaviours do we need to excel in individual care? Training animals for a variety of different behaviours Read more…
At Zoospensefull we hear many stories from keepers about animals being anxious or extremely insecure and thought it’d be a great topic to write about. The biggest challenge with insecure animals or animals with anxiety is that these are labels. We have put a name to explain what we think Read more…
Do you ever ask yourself the question, who is training who? Who gets trained and who has the control? It’s common business in animal training. It happens in front of your eyes without you even noticing. I was amazed how killer whales do it when I was working with them. Read more…
One of the many tasks animal caregivers have to perform is a visual check on their animals. This can include overall condition, movement, and more often we look at body condition score of our animals to see if they are in good condition. A body condition scoring paper is one Read more…
Here at Zoospensefull we talk a lot about criteria in behaviour. Criteria is nothing more than a rule or guideline made for a behaviour the animal is doing. Criteria is important to have, because it enables us to be more black and white with our animals. Criteria also enables us Read more…
We talk a lot about foundation behaviours here at Zoospensefull. The reason we talk so much about foundation behaviours is because these behaviours are important to progress your training and to set your animal up for success. Often at the beginning, foundation behaviours are easy to maintain but over time, Read more…
The EAZA Welfare conference is a great conference to better yourself and your knowledge regarding animal welfare. Zoospensefull attended this conference a couple years ago. Often, conferences like these are hosted at zoos and everyone’s favourite part is to go through the zoo as the people that attend are animal Read more…
We talk a lot about observation here at Zoospensefull and we believe it is fundamental in becoming better animal trainers. To progress as trainers we should be observing our animals more. Observation is a powerful method useful before, during and after all training sessions, it will dictate whether your sessions Read more…
In a modern zoo, exhibits are built with the species specific requirements in mind, and designed as close to wild and natural. There are many exhibits that look extraordinarily beautiful on the surface, but often we, and the visiting public, don’t think about the animals thoughts and feelings towards their Read more…